Johnny Benson

There should be plenty of drama and excitement in NASCAR's Nextel Cup All-Star Challenge race on Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, an event that's up for grabs given its unique format -- four 20-lap segments on the 1.5-mile oval.

No championship points are awarded, but it's all-out racing with pride and a lot of money at stake -- the winner collecting just over $1 million. And given that this event is a series of sprints expect just about anything.

With how well they have been running this season, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, the top two drivers at Hendrick Motorsports have a good chance at winning, but so do a bunch of other drivers in the field.

Automatically entered in this event are All-Star race winners from the past decade, active Cup champions, and winners of Cup races in 2006 as well as the first eleven events of this year.

Another two drivers make the event by finishing first and second in the Nextel Open, a preliminary event that precedes the All-Star Challenge earlier on Saturday night. A fan vote places another driver in the field.

Working in Gordon's and Johnson's favor
Gordon comes into this event red hot. He has three wins in the last four races, and nine top-fives in 11 races this season. He's on top in points and he's taken NASCAR's top series by such storm that it will be next month before there is even a chance he falls from the top spot in the standings.

While this race is not about points, it can prove valuable down the line in qualifying for the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Gordon's crew chief Steve Letarte will use the All-Star Challenge to try and get a leg up on the best setup for next weekend's Cup race which is also held at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

On Saturday night Letarte will go to a new chassis and try some different things with it. What he and Gordon learn from that experience they will apply to other races this season starting with the Cup 600-miler on May 27 at Lowe's. The No. 24 Chevrolet has a good mile-and-half program, but like other teams it will use this non-points opportunity to experiment with new ideas that might help better the competition down the line.

Interactive Resurgent Kahne headed for the Chase

Make no mistake, however, Gordon and Letarte will be out to win on Saturday night. If the four-time Cup champion does take the event, he'll make history becoming the first driver to win the All-Star Challenge four times. Gordon and Dale Earnhardt are the only drivers with three All-Star wins. Gordon's victories came in 1995, 1997 and 2001 -- all championship seasons for him -- and Earnhardt's in 1987, 1990, and 1993.

Johnson won this event last year becoming only the second two-time winner in the last eight All-Star races. Mark Martin was the other with victories in 1998 and 2005. Johnson's first All-Star win came in 2003.

Defending Cup champion Johnson seems as formidable as ever at Lowe's, a venue he considers his home track. But because of the format of the All-Star event repeat winners are rare -- there's only been one, Davey Allison in 1991 and 1992.

There's no question Johnson and his No. 48 team have the Charlotte track figured out better than any of their competitors. In addition to his two All-Star wins, Johnson has five victories and eight consecutive top-three finishes in Cup races at LMS. He makes a pretty strong case for owning this track having led for a quarter of the laps he has raced at LMS.

Other drivers to watch
Let's start with another Hendrick driver, young Kyle Busch, who is overshadowed by Gordon and Johnson, but who has a world of talent and obviously will be in equipment that is comparable to that of his two superstar teammates.

Slideshow   The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos

Busch recognizes this event for what it is -- a free-for-all with drivers often throwing caution to the wind as they chase the big dollars. Busch says he wants to win this event in his second try not only for the money, but for the prestige that comes with besting an All-Star field.

Some others who should have strong shots at a win are Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, and Kevin Harvick. They represent different organizations -- Martin driving the No. 1 Chevrolet for Ginn Racing after a long stint with Roush Racing, Kahne piloting the No. 9 Dodge of Evernham Motorsports, and Harvick behind the wheel of the No. 29 Chevrolet for resurgent Richard Childress Racing.

This will be Martin's 18th straight All-Star Challenge. In addition to his two wins he has five top-fives, and seven top-10s. The veteran calls his 2005 All-Star win one of the highlights of his career. Martin got that victory despite not having the best car in the field. He let it all hang out, drove to the lead, and was never caught.

Last week Martin tested at LMS and came away quite pleased. He expects to be in fast cars for the next two weeks, and LMS has always been one of his favorite tracks.

Kahne has lacked good finishes this season (only one top-10), but he has had races where he has run upfront in the early stages but for various reasons the going didn't stay good as the events progressed. He's capable of much better than his 2007 results indicate, and he'll be looking for a win or top finish from a brand new chassis.

This will be Kahne's fourth All-Star Challenge. He started from the pole last year, led 10 laps, and finished 14th. His previous All-Star results were 16th in 2005, and seventh in 2004.

This will be the seventh straight All-Star Challenge for Harvick, who is enjoying a top-notch season that has him eighth in points. He's coming off top-10s in three of the last four Cup races. His strongest All-Star performance came last year when he started ninth, led for 23 laps, and finished second.